Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1060121
Those friendly to fascia will fi nd much in the FRC5 proceedings that has practical relevance to their work. In other circles, and especially on social media, the therapeutic relevance of fascia is sometimes hotly debated, and those who have already been put off by the hype, exaggeration, speciousness, and faddishness unfortunately associated with many fascial approaches are unlikely to change their opinions based on one Congress's proceedings alone. From my own point of view, as someone with a range of passions that include fascial science, somatic psychology, pain science, biopsychosocial applications (and most recently, infl ammation), I was heartened by the FRC5's tone of cross-disciplinary curiosity, openness, learning, and discourse. Both in our society and within our fi eld, we can use all the bridges across the chasms between us that we can get. Still, as practitioners, our main question is most often, "So, how does all this translate into hands-on practice?" The full answer is that it will take time to tell. Though I doubt it'll take the medical 5 This plastinated specimen shows the fascia lata in its entirety, with the gluteus maximus and the tensor fascia lata still attached. The illiotibial tract is visible as the thickened longitudinal fi bers within this myofascial layer. Image courtesy Rachelle L. Clauson. Watch Til Luchau's technique videos and read his past articles in Massage & Bodywork's digital edition, available at www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com, www.abmp.com, and on Advanced-Trainings.com's YouTube channel. Watch Til's ABMP video playlist where all his videos have been compiled. "Watch Now" average of 17 years for new research to appear in clinical practice, 4 new ideas need validation, debate, integration, and, of course, application. Personally, however, since the FRC5, I'm already: • Remapping my narratives of what happens under my hands to include even more about fl uids and fl ows, and even less about fi bers and fascia per se • Experimenting with the idea that active movement affects cortical maps of infl ammation and pain (as does sensory experience, like touch) • Keeping in mind that there is no one- size-fi ts-all for any of these approaches Though we're learning more all the time about how pain, tissues, fl uids, and the nervous system all interact and play a part in hands-on work, each person and each situation is distinct and needs an adaptable approach from us as practitioners. The more options and the broader our view, then, the more versatile and responsive we become. Notes 1. C. Stecco et al., "The Fasciacytes: A New Cell Devoted to Fascial Gliding Regulation," Clinical Anatomy 31(5) (July 2018):667–676. doi: 10.1002/ca.23072. 2. P. C. Benias et al., "Structure and Distribution of an Unrecognized Interstitium in Human Tissues," Scientifi c Reports 8, no. 1 (2018): 4947. 3. Fascia Research Society, "Plastination Project," accessed November 2018, www.fasciaresearchsociety. org/plastination. 4. Z. S. Morris, S. Wooding, and J. Grant, "The Answer is 17 Years, What is the Question: Understanding Time Lags in Translational Research," Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 104, no. 12 (2011): 510–20. Til Luchau is the author of Advanced Myofascial Techniques (Handspring Publishing, 2016), a Certifi ed Advanced Rolfer, and a member of the Advanced-Trainings.com faculty, which offers online learning and in-person seminars throughout the United States and abroad. He invites questions or comments via info@advanced-trainings.com and Advanced-Trainings.com's Facebook page. As someone with a range of passions that include fascial science, somatic psychology, pain science, biopsychosocial applications (and most recently, inf lammation), I was heartened by the FRC5's tone of cross-disciplinary curiosity, openness, learning, and discourse. Yo u r M & B i s w o r t h 2 C E s ! G o t o w w w. a b m p . c o m / c e t o l e a r n m o r e . 103